NEF - Director, Compliance and Legal Affairs

Director, Compliance and Legal Affairs

About the Near East Foundation

The Near East Foundation (NEF) is a nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Syracuse, New York. NEF has supported livelihoods recovery and communitybased economic development in the Middle East, Africa, and Caucasus since 1915. NEF draws on local teams, experience, and partnerships in these regions to create community-led solutions to improve livelihoods and local governance among conflict and crisis-affected groups, while maintaining neutrality and ensuring inclusiveness in its approach. Working through a network of country offices and local partners, NEF has operations in ten countries: Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan, and Syria. NEF programs are organized around three themes: Inclusive Economic Development, Climate-resilient Development, and Stabilization and Peacebuilding.

Title: Director, Compliance and Legal Affairs

Location: Syracuse, New York

Salary: $125,000 – $150,000 USD

Relocation Assistance will be offered, if required.

The Role Job Summary

The Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the Near East Foundation (NEF) adheres to all regulatory requirements across all countries where NEF operates. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and working closely with NEF’s President and global senior leadership team, the Director manages contracts and regulatory compliance, leads the development and implementation of global policies and procedures, ensures compliance with NEF’s governing structure for each entity and their global framework, leads donor

compliance globally, advises on global employment matters, oversees enterprise risk management and Board compliance for NEF’s three headquarters. The Director is NEF’s expert on US and other global sanctions laws and regulations, including those of the EU and UK that affect NEF’s work. They serve as the primary contact for government agencies including but not limited to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the US. Additionally, the Director will manage external legal counsel in each country of operation and serve as the chief ethics officer of the organization.

Responsibilities

General Counsel

The Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs serves as general counsel for NEF and provides legal advice and recommendations to the global senior leadership team and board of directors to ensure regulatory compliance at all levels of the organization globally. The Director will:

• Serve as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and thought partner to the President and senior management;

• Provide legal support to the board of directors and committees for all legal entities to guide compliant and effective governance;

• Manage registrations, filings, and legal standing in all countries where NEF operates;

• Provide counsel to employees in all departments on a variety of issues;

• Identify, research, and analyze legal and compliance issues that affect NEF programs, operations, and strategic direction and provide recommendations for remediation;

• Manage budget and staff of the legal and compliance functions;

• Oversee NEF policies and procedures to ensure effective and compliant operations globally;

• Develop and provide trainings on process and polices for NEF staff when needed.

Compliance

The Director of Compliance and Legal Affairs oversees the overall compliance of the NEF family of entities, including all affiliated entities and cross-border operations. The Director will:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive compliance framework and risk register that covers legal, financial, and operational aspects across all NEF locations;

• Monitor changes in laws and regulations in all countries of operation, to ensure NEF remains up-to-date and compliant;

• Lead the development and implementation of compliance related policies, procedures, and training programs to promote a culture of ethical behavior and adherence to regulations;

• Serve as Chief Ethics Officer, ensuring adherence to NEF Code of Conduct and overseeing the whistleblower and other reporting policies;

• Serve as NEF’s expert on US and other global sanctions laws and regulations, including those of the EU and UK.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree or its international equivalent and be a member of the New York State Bar in good standing, or be able to commit to waive (register) within 90 days of start date;

• Minimum ten (10) years of experience in compliance and legal affairs, in an international NGO or a cross-border governmental or international contracting space.

• International legal experience, including in one or more countries where NEF operates;

• In-depth understanding of international laws, regulations, compliance frameworks and the way they interact;

• Demonstrated experience with global sanction laws;

• Experience managing external legal counsel globally and demonstrated experience in understating different legal systems;

• Ability to work effectively across diverse cultural contexts;

• Fluency in English is required; Arabic and/ or French language skills is a plus

• Willingness and desire to travel internationally as required (10 to 20%);

• Experience with non-profit law and regulations in the US, UK and EU.

Desired

• Lived experience in the countries where NEF works

• Experience with US charity laws

How to Apply

All correspondence, at this stage, should be via Oxford HR. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button on the job advert page, complete our online application form, and submit your CV and cover letter as two different documents, which should be prepared before applying as they will be considered in the application process. The cover letter should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

The document should be saved in PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy) e.g., Pat-Jones-CV-092023-NEF or Pat-JonesCoverLetter-092023-NEF.

Timeline

Closing Date: 13th October 2023

Selection Process

All candidates will receive an update regarding their application after the closing date. We advise candidates to add the role email to their safe senders list and regularly check their spam folder.

Equality Statement

The Near East Foundation promotes Equal Employment Opportunities for all applicants seeking employment and NEF employees.

If you are interested in this role and believe you have what it takes, but your skills and experience do not align perfectly with every qualification in this profile, we encourage you to apply.

Queries

If you have any queries on any aspect of the appointment process, need additional information, or would like to have an informal discussion, please email at nef-directorcompliance@oxfordhr.com in the first instance.

About Oxford HR

Oxford HR operates globally - mainly within the international development and charity sectors. We carry out retained executive search mandates at board and senior management levels. We also offer human resource and organisational development consultancy.

Oxford HR has many years of experience in search as well as an extensive network of international development, social sector, corporate, public sector, and academic contacts from across the world. We carry out comprehensive and often international searches designed to meet the specific needs of our client.

About Syracuse, NY

Syracuse is a medium-sized city situated in New York State approximately 250 miles northwest of New York City. With a population of approximately 500,000, the area offers a low cost of living and provides many social, cultural, and recreational options, including parks, museums, festivals, professional regional theater, and premier shopping venues. Syracuse and Central New York State offer a wide range of seasonal recreation and a great active lifestyle ranging from outstanding skiing and hiking in the Adirondacks, arts and culture, wineries along the Finger Lakes, and biking on trails along the Erie Canal.

Learn more about Syracuse and Central New York by visiting https://www.goodlifecny.com/44-reasons-to-move-to-cny/